In the early 1800s French slave owners fled the revolution in Haiti and many settled in Cuba. They brought approximately 27,000 Haitian slaves with them to work on the coffee and sugar cane plantations.
Haitian culture is closely linked to Cuba’s because of their shared African heritage. Creole is the second most spoken language in Cuba, after Spanish, and it has its roots in Haiti. The Haitian language, religions and music and dance traditions remain a large part of Cuban culture.